Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12660 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-10-25
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 96 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Are you ready to get down with the sickness? Movie logic dictates that you shouldn't remake a classic, but Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead defies that logic and comes up a winner. You could argue that George A. Romero's 1978 original was sacred ground for horror buffs, but it was a low-budget classic, and Snyder's action-packed upgrade benefits from the same manic pacing that energized Romero's continuing zombie saga. Romero's indictment of mega-mall commercialism is lost (it's arguably outmoded anyway), so Snyder and screenwriter James Gunn compensate with the same setting--in this case, a Milwaukee shopping mall under siege by cannibalistic zombies in the wake of a devastating viral outbreak--a well-chosen cast (led by Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, and Mekhi Phifer), some outrageously morbid humor, and a no-frills plot that keeps tension high and blood splattering by the bucketful. Horror buffs will catch plenty of tributes to Romero's film (including cameos by three of its cast members, including gore-makeup wizard Tom Savini), and shocking images are abundant enough to qualify this Dawn as an excellent zombie-flick double-feature with 28 Days Later, its de facto British counterpart. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
First-time director Zack Snyder remakes zombie master George A. Romero's classic 1978 gore-fest DAWN OF THE DEAD, wisely replicating only the basic elements of Romero's movie, and instead sticking to his own vision of a world overrun by undead flesh-eating creatures. The action begins with nurse Ana (Sarah Polley) waking up to discover her boyfriend has become a tasty midnight snack for a formerly cute neighboring kid. To her horror, she realizes that the whole town is in a similar state of ghoulishness, until she runs into still-alive cop Kenneth (Ving Rhames); the levelheaded Michael (Jack Weber); and Andre (Mekhi Phifer), a rebel with a pregnant wife in tow. As in Romero's original, the group heads for the local mall where they barricade themselves inside. More survivors surface, while in the outside world the zombies go about their day by slowly taking over the planet. Undeterred by the odds against them, the survivors plot, scheme, and enjoy their mall paradise. As they plan their escape, some incredibly gruesome special effects are deployed, often with a dash of wry humor added for light relief.
Placing the messages from Romero's version--a funny, scary look at consumerist society--on the back burner, the 2004 version of DAWN OF THE DEAD instead concentrates on delivering a witty blood-fest. The zombies appear to have taken their cues from the fast-moving corpses of Danny Boyle's 28 DAYS LATER, and are generally much more agile than their 1978 counterparts. Director Snyder gets the balance between humorous set-pieces and plot development exactly right throughout, producing an enjoyable remake that can easily hold its own alongside the deservedly hailed original film.

Customer Reviews

An excellent remake
At first I was worries that this would be a cheesy hollywood style remake of the original. This turned out not to be the case at all and I think this is a great film both as a remake and as a film in its own right. There are parallels with the orginal in terms of the script but enough orginality and some excellent black humour to keep you interested. The soundtrack is excellent and there is a complete change in the zombies movements. They move pretty fast now ! All in all, a great zombie film.

Not the original....but still fantastic!!
This remake has been handled exceptionally well.

Looking at other recent remakes (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Ring etc.) you're perfectly entitled to feel a little bit cautious as to whether this film is going to be much cop....I know I was! Especially given that the original is one of my favourite films.

Don't worry though. It's a great film! The feeling of dread may be missing but it's replaced by tons of adrenaline-fueled terror(Thanks to the change in Zombies' speed) and the special effects and gore are second to none. What this film also has is a great sense of humour.....which is just what's needed at certain points!

Overall, this remake is not better or worse than the original, it's different. It runs at a much different pace, emphasises have changed and it's far more about fun and thrills than doom and despair.

Go see it! I recommend it.

Enjoyable and credible remake of a classic
'Dawn of the Dead' has received a broad range of both praise and criticism. Some people within the zombie fan-base have cited being annoyed by the running zombies, the poor character development, and most of all the lack of satire and social commentary that made the original such a standout classic horror movie. As a fan of George Romero and a lover of zombie flicks in general, I nevertheless have to say that I enjoyed this movie immensely. Modern cinematography, effects, and a decent budget have produced a movie that is stylish, slick, well-paced, and that in my opinion has not 'sold-out' the genre. There is indeed little or no trace left of the social commentary on consumerism - as George Romero remarked about this movie, 'it has lost it's reason for being' - but this doesn't mean it is a bad movie. In fact, I would say that it's one of the finest zombie films ever made. The opening credits, set to Johnny Cash, are superb, and really set the mood. There are some wonderful and memorable scenes, though I won't mention them here (no spoilers!). And the ending is absolutely perfect, in my opinion.

Watching Dawn 1979 now, even though it is a great movie, I find myself cringeing just a little at the ridiculous music, the blue zombies (they had only two people to do all the zombie effects on that film! ...no disrespect to Tom Savini, who did to a great job on a low budget)... this was 25 years ago - cinematographic techniques have moved on since then!!

All in all, a welcome revision of a classic. Great stuff.